LuminoCity: Themes

The maps and statistics from the LuminoCity3D site are intended to be used to inform current urban policy and research. This page will link to a series of articles on how the site provides evidence for city policy and research debates that will be written over the coming months. The first theme article is on urban growth and overheating London.

The overarching issues for UK cities are of urban growth and intensification, and continuing regional inequalities. After much of the late 20th century was characterised by absolute decline in UK cities with severe de-industrialisation, the early 20th century in contrast has seen significant growth for many cities. But this growth has been highly uneven, in relation to varying economic geographies, population growth, housing markets and planning policy. Trying to pick apart these trends is the aim of this section.

At the larger national scale, the dominant geography of inequality in the UK is the ‘north-south divide’, or the difference between the South East region, linked to major global city of London and the economic investments and processes this entails, and the rest of the UK. While the north-south divide is a great simplification in many respects, it remains very much in evidence for a series of equality related indicators. The pressing question is then whether recent trends are reducing such large regional inequalities, or further entrenching them.

House prices in England & Wales are one of the clearest expressions of a continuing north-south divide, though there is much local variation.